Raja Ampat
August 21-28, 2024
Raja Ampat, Indonesia is right in the heart of the Coral Triangle and has over 1,500 islands. Many scientists believe Raja Ampat has the most coral and fish diversity in the world! According to Conservation International marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat area is the highest recorded on earth. The Raja Ampat area is known for mantas, black tip reef sharks, muck diving (blue ring octopus, bobtail squid, pygmy seahorses, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, pipefish, etc).
Raja Ampat means ‘Four Kings’. In an archipelago of over 1,500 small islands there are four main islands or ‘kings’– Waigeo, Salawati, Batanta, Misool. While the area looks quite small on the map, it's indeed quite a large area with a huge variety and options for diving.
Trip Details:
We had THE BEST TIME on the Coralia in 2023, we're doing it again in 2024!
Hop on board the beautiful Coralia liveaboard. The Coralia is a classic Phinisi. It was built in Bira, Sulawesi by the Konjo tribe, who have been building cargo ships for centuries. Blending ancient techniques and wisdom with modern design and safety features, Coralia is one of the few Phinisi equipped with two engines.
Coralia’s name comes from the word ‘coral‘ and the Latin ending of ‘-ia’, so ‘Coral-ia‘ means ‘Nation of Corals’.
The Coralia has won the Dive Travel Awards "Best Liveaboard" in 2019 and 2021. (We now know WHY she & the crew won best liveaboard, because they ARE THE BEST)!
We are venturing into Raja Ampat during what some would consider off season. Raja offers great diving all year round in certain areas. Oftentimes August has the best vis!
Our itinerary will take us to dive sites in the Batanta area and Dampier Strait. If the weather allows we will try to head north towards Aljui Bay and Wayag, however we cannot guarantee we'll be able to. To read more about our itinerary, click here.
Tentative Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival into Sorong, board the Coralia, settle into cabins, unpack dive gear/camera gear, boat briefing and dive briefing. Relax and enjoy the views as we head towards Dampier Strait.
Day 2: Diving begins! Today we'll start off with an easy check out dive first thing in the morning. Return after diving for big breakfast. Mid- morning head out for dive 2, lunch, followed by an afternoon dive, and depending on our transit schedule a possible night dive.
Day 3-7 Diving continues as we head to the areas of Batanata, Dayang, and Gam. We will also visit the famous viewpoint, Penemu when we head towards Gam from Dayang. Our last day of diving will offer 2 dives in the morning (pending flight schedules) and then begin our transit back to Sorong.
Day 8: We'll say our "Good Byes" and disembark the Coralia for the Sorong Airport. You'll be ready to book your next trip on Coralia after an amazing trip!
Dates:
August 21-28, 2024
Duration:
7 nights/8 days
Package Cost:
Upper Deck Master Suites: (double occupancy)
$4895.00 USD per person
Main Deck Master Suites: (double occupancy)
$4695.00 USD per person
Lower Deck Double & Twin: (double occupancy)
$4195.00 USD per person
Lower Deck Twin (2 Twin beds): (double occupancy)
$3995.00 USD per person
Master Cabins on Coralia
Lower Deck Double & Twin Cabin
Exclusions:
Dive gear rental
Massages
Alcoholic beverages
Park Fees: $315 USD per person (paid on board)
Airfare: International & Domestic
Travel Insurance / DAN dive Insurance
Crew tips
Hotel in Sorong or Jakarta prior/after trip if required.
Onboard purchases
Price Includes:
7 nights/8 days on board the Coralia
(refer to https://www.coralia-liveaboard.com/)3-4 dives a day (includes tanks and weights. Other equipment not included). *Some days may be 2 dives depending on land excursions.*
3 meals a day plus snacks, water, tea, coffee, soft drinks
Accomodations in luxurious cabins.
Presentations on marine wildlife.
Travel and explore with a marine biologist and travel/educational expert.
Photography and editing advice provided.
Friendly & fun atmosphere
Certified dive guides and amazing cruise directors.
Private charter for our group only.
Group size limited to 16 including trip organizers.
Getting to Raja Ampat:
To/From North America:
Travel to Indonesia is typically flown via Tokyo or Hong Kong or other Asian gateway cities (depending on the airline) and connecting onward to Jakarta (CGK). Sometimes you'll find routings from the east coast through the Middle East (Doha/Abu Dhabi, etc)
Arrival into Jakarta by August 20, 2024 (late afternoon at the latest).
It is recommended to arrive in Jakarta a day prior to your flight to Sorong. The Anara airport hotel is recommended if arriving a day or two early into Jakarta.
To/From Australia:
Travel to Indonesia is typically flown nonstop (from SYD) or with connecting flights via Singapore or Malaysia and connecting onward to Jakarta (CGK).
Arrival into Jakarta by August 20, 2024 (late afternoon at the latest)
It is recommended to arrive in Jakarta a day prior to your flight to Sorong. The Anara airport hotel is recommended if arriving a day or two early into Jakarta.
Flights to Sorong:
Connect onward to Sorong (SOQ). Most of the flights to Sorong are typically red-eyes from Jakarta. To avoid an overnight stay in Sorong the current suggested flights are:
Aug 21, 2024 Garuda Indonesia: GA 682 CGK-SOG Departs at 12:10am and arrives 6:15am
Aug 21, 2024 Batik Airlines ID 7797 Departs at 12:05am and arrives 6:10am
You will be met by Coralia staff who will bring you directly to the boat. If you'd like to arrive in Sorong a day before, you are more than welcome to and the suggested hotel is the Aston Sorong Hotel. The Coralia staff will pick you up from the hotel and bring you to the boat on August 21, 2024.
Departure on August 28, 2024 can be at anytime. The Coralia staff will bring you back to the airport for your departing flight. If you are continuing onto another resort or elsewhere in Raja Ampat, just let us know so we can coordinate with the Coralia team.
Flights on Garuda still offer 23kg extra per person for dive gear. Be ready to show Scuba certification cards at check in and that your extra baggage is made up of dive equipment.
Please keep in mind, flying on early morning flights departing from Sorong will restrict the number of dives you will be able to do on the last full day on board. Generally there will be two morning dives on the last day commencing around 12pm.
More About Raja Ampat:
600+ species of coral are found in Raja Ampat – the entire Caribbean Sea has only 58 species
1,669 species of fish have been recorded to date (December 2019)
374 fish species were identified during one 90-minute dive at Cape Kri in Dampier Strait.
42 fish species are native to the region.
17 °C temperature range – the corals in Raja Ampat are regularly subjected to variations in temperatures from 19 (66oF) to 36 (97oF) degrees Celsius. The coral seems to be naturally adapted to massive fluctuations in temperature than are far higher than the ones predicted by climatologists over the next 50 years.
The official language is Bahasa Indonesia. Although there are over 300 different native languages spoken in Indonesia.
How to Secure Your Spot:
Please note that this trip has limited spots, so you will need to get in quick to secure your booking. The following payments will be required:
$800 USD to secure your spot
25% of package cost due Feb 1, 2024
75% of package cost due May 1, 2024
We will be in touch via e-mail for your payment and provide individual invoices. We would recommend purchasing your flights into Jakarta as soon as possible to secure reasonably priced flights.
To book and check for available spaces email: info@designedforscuba.com
Terms and Conditions
Designed for Scuba highly recommends you purchase travel and dive insurance as soon as possible after confirming your travel plans.
Evidence of adequate travel and dive insurance must be provided prior to departure.
Bookings made more than 100 days out from the start of a trip require a deposit of $800 USD per passenger to secure your booking.
All deposits are non-refundable.
Bookings made less than 100 days out from tour commencement require payment in full to secure your booking.
Payment in full is required 100 days out from the start of the tour. We will email you a final payment reminder. No refunds will be given within 100 days of the start of any trip, under any circumstances.
If you cancel your spot more than 100 days before the start of a trip, and we are able to resell/fill the spot, a trip credit for your remaining balance (minus the initial deposit) will be issued for use on another Designed for Scuba, LLC trip within 2 years of the cancellation.
If you cancel your spot less than 99 days prior to the start of a trip, no refund or credit will be issued for deposits that have been paid.
If our In-Country Providers cancel or if aForce Majeure Event occurs, meaning any act of God, war, terrorism, fire, flood or any other extreme weather conditions, loss of power, epidemics or pandemics, industrial disputes, slow-downs or other strike activities, riots or civil disturbances, acts of government, semi government or other authorities, inability to obtain any necessary license or consent and delays caused by sub-contractors, suppliers or other third parties (including telecommunications carriers), material shortages or other disruption to the trip beyond our control, Designed for Diving shall not be held responsible for matters outside of our control or any failure to deliver the trip.
Please ensure you understand our cancellation policy prior to providing any money and agreeing to the booking and trip.
Current Entry Requirements
The requirements for entering Indonesia for international travelers (foreign citizen) are as follows:
(as of June 2023)
All COVID vaccination entry requirements have been dropped.
Travelers from most countries will need to apply for a tourist visa. (Please check requirements for your passport).
This can be completed online prior to arrival often listed as eVOA. You can apply here for the eVOA: https://molina.imigrasi.go.id/
It is possible to receive the tourist visa on arrival (VOA).
The cost for the eVOA/VOA is 500,000 IDR which is approximately $32 USD.
Requirements to apply for VOA or eVOA:
A legal and valid passport that must be valid at least 6 months before the expiration date.
An international ticket for return or onward travel.